Anyone Can Whistle
by Jania
Summary: After Nathan Petrelli saves the world at a great cost, Claude Raines is left to pick up the pieces


Title: Anyone Can Whistle 1/?

Author: Jania

Date: 8/21/2007

Rating: PG-13 overall, though later chapters will feature impiled sex and violence read the end note if you wish to see the R rated version

Pairings: Nathan/Claude as main pairing, Nathan/Peter and Peter/Claude implied

Category: Drama, First Time and AU

Season/Episode: AU from _How to Stop an Exploding Man_

Spoilers: Minor ones for the season finale

Warnings: Consenting adults in an incestuous relationship, m/m kissing, implied sex, some bad language and character death

Summary: After Nathan Petrelli saves the world at a great cost, Claude Raines is left to pick up the pieces

Notes: I have a new ship god help us all! The title comes from a musical by the same name and seems to fit Claude putting Nathan back together quite well. Also most of Claude's dialogue I cannot take credit for, that goes to my lovely friend Lyn who gave me tons of awesome help by working the plot of this story out via IM role-play. Love ya baby.

Peter Petrelli's funeral made every major newspaper and was a featured piece on all the network newscasts. Nathan knew his younger brother would have hated the three-ring circus of cameras, reporters and false sympathy. However, as the heroic brother of the "Flying Congressman," Peter had become in death, what he had longed for in life, one of the most special people on the face of the Earth.

With the media hoopla over Peter and Nathan's heroics and Mohinder Suresh's list growing to a fever pitch, Nathan had fought with his mother long and hard about the funeral, finally convincing her to make it a quiet affair, with family and a few friends and absolutely no press. "Peter would have wanted it that way Ma," he'd said and left it at that.

Claire had stood with his mother tears streaming down her face non-stop throughout the service at the church and the burial. Even Hiro openly wept when the first handful of dirt struck the coffin, but Nathan had remained apart from the rest, eyes dry, as he watched his soulmate, brother and lover lowered into the cold, unforgiving ground.

Nathan knew people were whispering about him, saying that he was a heartless, emotionless man for burying his younger brother so quickly without shedding a tear. But Claire and Noah Bennett knew the truth, about how Nathan had been found clinging to Peter's body heedless of his own wounds as he screamed and begged his brother to open his eyes, tears streaming down his face like a river.

It seemed to Nathan as if he had lost the ability to feel anything the moment Peter had been taken from his arms. He couldn't even feel the icy winter wind slice through his coat as he stared at the place where his brother had been laid to rest. All he could think was Peter is gone, I will never see him again, his beauty and light, they're gone from the world forever.

Nathan was so wrapped up in his dark thoughts that he didn't notice that the rest of the mourners had drifted away leaving him alone by the grave. "Can't let go can ya mate," a rough voice called out suddenly from behind Nathan and the elder brother whipped around to find no one there.

"Who are you, where are you," Nathan growled and the strange voice simply laughed at him, a harsh sound that had no real humor in it. "I'm a man who knows more'n you'd think," the voice replied as Nathan's back stiffened and his tone grew colder. "Invisibility, hatred of the world at large you must be Claude," he said without turning to confront the faceless voice and the laughter echoed louder as a scruffy looking blond man with piercing blue eyes joined him at Peter's grave.

"Ah, so the poodle act'ully opened his mouth 'bout me, eh? An' here I thought he'd be smarter'n that," Claude said and Nathan trembled in anger, which simply made Claude laugh again. "I did my own research on you, Peter told me nothing about you," Nathan finally said, "Noah filled in the gaps."

That last comment made Claude growl and it was Nathan's turn to chuckle at the look on the older man's face. "So, why'd you start studyin' me?" Nathan turned and faced his brother's mentor for the first time. "So I could thank the man who screwed up my brother with a punch to the face," he said softly.

Claude's reply was laced with pain and utter hatred, though at whom it wasn't clear. "I helped the lit'le puppy against me better judgement! He was too goddamned stubborn 'bout it, and wouldn't bloody LISTEN.""Then you had NO idea how his mind worked, NONE.""I told 'im what ta do, and 'e wouldn't bloody well do it! No, all 'e did was whine about what was comin', and fight AGAINST what I was tryin' ta teach him! "

By now the two men were almost nose to nose, as the fight grew louder and more furious. "YOU taught him emotion was wrong that fine thing to tell a empath power mimic," Nathan yelled at Claude, wishing his right arm had not been damaged by Peter's radiation output, a man really needed two hands to strangle someone, using just one didn't have the same punch.

"If 'e'd cut out the damn emotions, 'e wouldn'ta blown! 'e'd still be alive if 'ed bloody well LISTENED, instead of doin' the exact opposite," Claude snapped back shoving at Nathan who stumbled back eyes blazing. "HIS POWERS WERE CONNECTED TO HIS EMOTIONS YOU SON OF A BITCH, HE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO FOCUS ON FIRST AND HE IS DEAD BECAUSE OF IT," Nathan screamed and swung a punch at Claude's face.

The fight was brief and angry with both men putting all their grief, pain and self-hatred into each punch. Finally Nathan stumbled back bleeding from his nose and mouth. Claude looked no better, his nose seemed to be broken and he had the start of a marvelous black eye.

"I loved 'im," Claude finally admitted and Nathan smiled though the emotions didn't reach his eyes. "He loved everyone," the elder Petrelli said softly and his brother's mentor nodded. "Overeager puppy was what he was," Claude said turning to leave then shimmering back into invisibility and rejoining Nathan at the gravesite.

Claude couldn't have put a name to the feeling that made him return to Nathan's side as the younger man turned back to the grave and lowered his head. If pressed, Claude would have claimed that he simply was watching over Nathan for Peter sake, though as tears fell onto the grass and Nathan began to sob, it was Claude's heart that gave a sympathetic throb and his hand that gripped Nathan's shoulder in support.

But it wasn't because he cared, no; it was because of Peter and nothing else, the invisible man thought to himself as he stayed by Nathan's Petrelli side and watched the man grieve the loss of his brother.

**I'm not sure I can link to another version of this story on here, but there is another version of this piece up on LJ just check the heroes coms for godiloveslash and you will get a slightly more violent story with Claude and Nathan getting groiny with each other and Sylar causing tons of trouble. And yes all you Sylar fan girls, he has a major part in this so read on. **

**Enjoy!**


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